Posts tagged ‘Tim Drake’

The story picks up on Commissioner Gordon and James Jr in the restaurant, having their conversation. James Jr announces that he has come to terms with being a psychopath. The whole scene is quite tense, and water pools from under a door, as if he possibly did kill the waitress, and was not joking.

But it proves to be nothing other than water, and other than making his father feel scared, James Jr doesn’t actually do anything.

The story weaves off in a weird direction, as Dick and Tim, as Batman and Red Robin, try to deal with the stolen birds.

But the scene itself seems to be more connected to an upcoming story, with the return of Tiger Shark. But frankly, these last few issue leave me cold.

Oh, and at the end, Gordon finds out that the birds were not released by his son, it was just a prank by a couple of kids.

Detective 853 (April 2009) has the second half of Neil Gaiman’s “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?”, with art by Andy Kubert. The story is a thematic sister to Alan Moore’s “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”, and exists sort of on its own, as a two-part story outside normal continuity, but also fits neatly into what is currently occurring with Batman. The first half was published in the previous issue of Batman.

As with the first half, the story is set at Batman’s funeral, with friends and enemies in attendance. While the first issue gave a lot of time to a couple of stories, this issue give a number of characters a brief opportunity to tell their versions of how Batman died.

As well as Betty Kane, shown in the original Bat-Girl outfit for the first time since 1978, eulogies are given by the Mad Hatter, the Joker, Dick Grayson, when he was still Robin, Clayface, Harvey Bullock and Ra’s Al Ghul.

Superman’s speech ends this section, as Batman starts to become aware of what is happening.

He suspects that he is having a near-death experience, and the voice that has been with him throughout this,now identified as his mother, tells him that this is true.

The story becomes a meditation on what Batman is, what he stands for. Batman cannot ever simply retire and live happily ever after. He is about never giving up, so Batman can only die in action.

He asks if he is going to heaven or hell, but the woman replies neither. He does not get those options. He gets to be Batman, that’s enough. As the story reaches it end, it takes on the Goodnight Moon narrative, as batman bids good-bye to the cave and the car. Robin, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon and his villains – Joker, Catwoman, Riddler, Two-Face, Penguin, Ra’s Al Ghul and Poison Ivy shown. The art mixes past and present versions, creating an eternal Batman.

And it ends as Martha Wayne gives birth to Bruce. His death takes him back to his birth, and the cycle begins again.

It serves as a reflection on a character that can never be killed off, in a medium that is so easy to re-read. Endings launch beginnings, and everything comes around eventually.

Peter Milligan joins Nguyen and Ridolfs for a story centring on the Suit of Sorrows, given to Batman by Talia, in Detective 842 (May 2008).

Batman has noticed that he has become more violent with criminals since he has begun wearing the suit, and he and Tim decide to find out as much as they can about it. Carbon dating of some dirt found deep in the armor dates it to the Crusades, at the time Ra’s Al Ghul was working with the Order of St Dumas.

Batman heads to Spain to seek out the connection between the suit and a Catalonian massacre hundreds of years earlier.

Batman learns that the suit was forged by an off-shoot of the Order of St Dumas, the Order of Purity, whose members continue to this day. They are pleased that Batman has returned the suit to them, and attempt to arrange his death while heading back. But he survives and beats them.

And learns the darker secret, that the massacre, blamed on the Moors, was in fact by the first person to wear the suit, as it amplifies one’s darker impulses.

Batman is tempted to destroy the suit, but keeps it in the cave, where Talia finds it a year or so down the road.

The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul, a tedious and obvious story arc pushing its way through the Batman books over two months, has its third chapter in Detective 838 (Jan. 08). Paul Dini is joined by Ryan Benjamin and Saleem Crawford on the art.

I don’t much care for this storyline (you guessed that already, right?), and this chapter is very much a middle one, which does not help matters any. Robin and Damian are brought to Al Ghul. Damian is unconscious throughout this issue,which is unfortunate, as this is his first appearance in Detective Comics. Tim Drake is alert, and Ra’s tries bargaining with him, before just giving up and having him knocked out as well.

Ubu threatens Alfred, to get Nightwing off the trail, but Alfred shows himself equal to the task of self-defense.

Batman and Talia work together to rescue Damian, as she leads Batman to her father’s lair, and he finds a way in. Talia has given Batman the Suit of Sorrows, which seems to be nothing more than armor in this story, but will have greater significance later.

Batman attacks Ra’s, but his current body, so old that the Lazarus Pit will no longer revive it, is also so decrepit that he feels no pain.

The issue ends as Ra’s has his men bring out Tim and Damian, and commands Batman to choose which one will die, and which will live.

Moore and Clarke conclude their two-part story about the attack on Wayne Tower in Detective 830 (Late May 2007).

Robin has to use a blowtorch to remove the explosive goo from his uniform. Those costumes must be extremely sturdy, if a blowtorch will not damage them.

Bruce has no luck keeping the peace delegates from fighting amongst themselves, and with Tim in trouble and Vox on the loose, drops a smoke bomb and uses it to get away and change to Batman.

Both halves of this story use exterior shots of the Tower really well, helping to build the suspense in the situation.

Batman finally confronts Vox. The two men fight, but it’s not strength that defeats the bomber.

Rather, it’s Batman arguments about making innocents suffer while trying to right wrongs, and Vox realizing that he has become just as bad as those he wants to destroy. He frees himself from Batman, and falls to his death.

Probably because it never really delves into the politics, this remains a good, solid suspense story.

Stuart Moore and Andy Clarke fill in for a two-part story, beginning in Detective 829 (Early May 2007).

Bruce Wayne is hosting an international anti-terrorism conference, which not everyone is happy about. Chiefly, the guy who sets off bombs within the Tower.

There he is. Vox. His agenda has to do with a fictional middle eastern country. He broadcasts to the police, but Batman realizes the signal is coming from inside the building. Batman is trapped as Bruce, with the delegates, and Lucius Fox.

Tim Drake managed to get to one of the secret “closets” and change into Robin, but Bruce is stuck with his cell phone, talking to Gordon. It all makes for a decent thriller.

Tim winds up face to face with Vox.

And as the story reaches its cliffhanger, Robin is coated in explosive goo, as Vox heads away to a safe distance before detonating it.

War Games has the first chapter of its second act in Detective 798 (Nov. 04), by Gabrych, Woods and Smith.

The gang war has turned personal, as the teenaged daughter of one of the mobsters was murdered, and Batman is getting frantic. It doesn’t help that he was captured on television for the first time. Oracle suggests bringing in Stephanie, as they need more operatives, but Batman, though he regrets how he treated her, does not think Spoiler would be safe. Neither realizes yet that she is already sooo involved.

The Body Doubles, villains from the old Resurrection Man series, who proved far more popular than the hero, make an appearance in this, shooting Renee Montoya.

Batman meets with Commissioner Akins, asking him to turn the police force over to him, so that Batman can have the men needed to end the gang war, but Akins turns him down cold.

Tim Drake spends a lot of time agonizing in this issue. He vowed to never become Robin again, after his father’s death.

But he knows he is needed, and too many lives are at stake. Tim returns to the Manor, and a grateful Alfred, and once again becomes Robin.

The story continues in Legends of the Dark Knight.

The Riddler is at the mercy of Poison Ivy in the second chapter of his three-part story,by McCarthy, Castillo and Ramos.

Ivy really belittles him. Not only does he not have any powers, he does not have the stature of the Penguin,or even the Joker. He whines and pleads and begs.

Marched to the top of a high canopy of trees, and certain that Ivy intends to kill him, the Riddler shows some courage after all. He tosses Ivy a riddle, and jumps into her jungle.